Miramichi Bay Holds A Secret

                      © DP Stewart County Crier’s Office Miramichi, N.B. Canada

                             November 20, 1761 Captain Benjamin Hallowell attempted to seek refuge from a storm wretched sea.  Destined to land at Quebec with freight out of London the ship was steered by her Captain, into Miramichi Bay.

    North East winds pounded the inner bay and islands, with the driving storm behind her the “Huton” was driven onto a sandbar, the terrific tide and wind swung her bow about and the ship toppled onto her starboard side. Her decks now exposed to the full force of the gale she soon took on water and slowly, she was eased off the sandbar and into a watery grave.

       Of the twelve brave seamen who manned the “Huton” all were lost but for one. James Pratchell a young seaman from Quebec was the sole survivor.

Saturday November 21, 1761 Gamaliel Smethurst awoke comfortably at Burnt Church, the previous days storm had forced him to beg of shelter here with Amand Bugeux and Nicholas Gautier. These Acadian settlers had just recently moved from North East River, Prince Edward Island and provided him with a fine warm bed, hot food and a warm fire. For the past two days it had rained steady and the fall winds had chilled him to the bone. He was traveling from the Nicholas Deny’s settlement at Nipisiquit then on to Fort Cumberland.

The sky was clearing and the winds had calmed, Amand and Gamaliel had traveled to the shore to check they’re fishing gear and spotted the debris and floating cargo all about the shoreline. Near the island called Portage, they could see what remained of the shipwreck. By skiff they approached the island but were turned back by the approach of Micmac Warriors in canoes.

     Monday November 24, 1761 Once again the three men attempted to cross to the island; once again the Warriors turned them back. Their Chief had issued through them that the next day a council of Chiefs have them taken to the shipwreck.

Tuesday November 25, 1761 Amand, Nicholas and Gamaliel  began a crossing using a small schooner.

When they neared Portage Island the Warriors once again launched their war canoes and apprehended them.

They were escorted back to the village at Burnt Church and council of Louis Francis Chief of Miramichi and Baptiste La Moreaux Chief of St Johns Island. La Moreaux and Francis met with them wearing large silver medals hung from ribbons about his neck bearing the symbol of the King of France. The warriors would supervise the unloading of the rest of the cargo with the assistance of the French settlers living nearby. The Chiefs would provide to Mr. Smethurst, four warriors to accompany him and the survivor, James Pratchell, to Fort Cumberland.

            That afternoon they went to the island on the French schooner. Three hundred barrels of flour had been rolled to safety on the island, smaller debris was scattered throughout the sandy beaches. With the help of the Acadian settlers they loaded fifteen barrels of flour to the schooner and made it back to the house by nine o’clock that evening. Thursday November 26, 1761 they sorted their way through the boxes they had salvaged, finding the Ship’s Log and a full twelve months of London Newspapers. Immediately they were hung to dry. The ship was the "Huton" and the cargo lists showed she sailed with 1200 barrels of flour, eighty puncheons of English Brandy, twenty-three bales of goods and nineteen barrels of hardware. 

      Friday November 27, 1761 as they cared for James Pratchell at the cabin of his Acadian hosts Gamaliel continued to dry newspapers and salvaged goods from the “Huton”. About mid-day they received word from the Natives that they would depart for Fort Cumberland the following morning. They had been staying in the cabin in fear of the Warriors, who now had a considerable amount of Brandy and were in a state of intoxication.

  Saturday, November 25, 1761 the morning was very stormy once again and the Indians did not want to travel in bad weather. Gamaliel was requested by the Chief to a council at a nearby wig-wam consisting of a dozen Warriors who were all intoxicated, except for Chief Francis.

 The council kept him there for quite some time before he was allowed to leave. They then announced that he would be detained here until the frost sets in so as to provide travel over land. Chief Francis advised him that they were the Masters here and if they decided to keep him there for another three or four months then he must do so. Pleading his urgency and the necessity of his continuing on his journey and finding a Doctor to tend to Pratchell and after long and hard debating he was allowed to leave with the two Acadians as his guides. He was successful in expressing his want to not, travel, with the Indian guide they had chosen to take him to Fort Cumberland, as he was very intoxicated and spoke no English. 

Sunday November 29,1761 a great snowfall had occurred during the night causing a mild thaw so they did not set out. The Indians had all met together to worship in prayer and very strict religious beliefs, crossing themselves twice in their religious zeal. Not knowing the basis for their beliefs but the ceremony was pompous, and to their liking. This religion now being mixed with Brandy their singing brought pain to the Priest's who encouraged this religious ceremony despite the intoxicated state of the congregation.

Monday November 30, 1761 the snows has ceased and at about ten o’clock they set out in a birch bark canoe they had purchased from one of the Warriors. In the canoe were Nicholas Gautier, Joseph Richard and Gamaliel Smethurst, James Pratchell they had decided, was to frail to travel with his legs and feet very swollen. He decided to stay with the Indians until the next Frenchman was allowed to leave the Indian Settlement. They left him with thirty-two pounds of beaver and a beaver fur coat to use as trade for goods. With a brisk northwest wind blowing they paddled into the Bay and made it to French Bay (Lower Bay Du Vin) near French River.

Tuesday, December 1,1761 they set out during the early morning darkness, the sea was still quite rough but they paddled away in the hopes of the west north west winds would calm so they could leave this river behind.

Information used to provide this interpretation was taken from Gamaliel Smethurst’s Narrative of his Journey from Nipisiquit to Fort Cumberland in 1761 edited by William F. Ganong and provided to me by Mr. Gilles Bourque, Heritage Culture & Sport New Brunswick. DPS©2004